Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 131455 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 657(@200wpm)___ 526(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131455 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 657(@200wpm)___ 526(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
I run the sponge across Callum’s chest, over his shoulders. Once or twice, I look up to find him watching me, but I can’t read his expression. The light I noticed before has faded into something less intense, but there’s still a fire burning behind them. Relief? No, he’s victorious. He’s the warrior who came home to his woman. He avenged us.
I even wash his hair, running my fingers over his scalp, making sure every last trace of what happened overnight is gone. And every touch comes from the love in my heart. There I was, thinking it would be impossible to love Callum more than I already did. But my heart is so full right now it might explode. My protector. My hero.
By the time I start to rinse his hair, his arms have found their way around my waist. The strong, steady beat of his heart reverberates in my chest, while I run my hands over his head, rinsing off every last trace of shampoo. “Thank you,” he whispers, gazing down at me.
“Thank you,” I whisper back before reaching up to touch my lips to his. There’s gratitude in that kiss. There’s relief that he’s safe and back with me. There’s wonder at the lengths he’s willing to go to if it means protecting what’s his.
And instantly, the fire ignites. He takes the back of my head in his hand and holds it still, his tongue forcing its way into my mouth. I part my lips eagerly, my skin warming not because of the water but because of the fire he ignites deep in my core. I’m helpless against it. I want him to take me away, to wrap me up in his love.
I offer no resistance when he pushes me against the wall, pinning me with his body against the cold tile. His rough kisses bruise my lips but part of me welcomes that. I want my lips bruised. I want the evidence of him all over me.
He’s the one who backs off with a grunt. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he growls, his body vibrating. “The last thing I want is to hurt you. But, oh, little bird…” His hand travels down the length of my side, to my hip, where his fingers press in hard enough to make me wince. “I need to take you. I need to be inside you and take you. I don’t want you to think I don’t… that it doesn’t matter…” He bares his teeth, breathing hard, while his erection presses against my stomach. I move slightly and slide my skin against it, making him release a shuddering groan.
All I do is part my legs, hooking one over his hip while silently welcoming him. He needs this, too, just as much as I do. The connection. A return to what’s real and true.
It’s obvious how he’s straining to control himself when he enters me in a single sharp thrust, making me hiss through my clenched teeth. He makes a sound. Regret? Concern? I don’t know. I only shake my head so he knows I’m all right, that he didn’t hurt me.
He lifts me off the floor so I can wrap both legs around his waist and hold him close, right where I need him to be. Where the fire has turned into an inferno that’s going to burn us both to ash even with steaming water spraying over our bodies. I’ve never needed him more than I do now, when something dark and dangerous swirls around behind his blue eyes. Something I should shrink away from but instead melt into.
“Bianca…” He drives himself into me and I close my eyes to focus on the sensation. “Bianca… little bird…” His fingers weave through my hair, and he wraps the locks around his fist before pulling my head to the side, burying his face in the crook of my neck, breathing me in. My hero. The man who killed for me and our child.
“That’s right,” I whisper in his ear, pulling him deeper with my legs. “Give it to me. Give it all to me, Callum. All of you. Everything. I want to feel whatever it is you’re feeling. Let it out.”
“I love you…” His tender words are almost lost under my ecstatic cries as he pushes me higher with every stroke. “My love. My all…”
“My hero.”
Our gazes collide, and he’s still moving inside me, our mouths almost touching. “No matter what… you have all of me.” His eyes flutter closed when my nails rake across his back.
“Callum… oh, God…” I’m so close but I don’t want this to end. I want to stay here, suspended in time. He drives his hips upward, and the tip of his cock touches something deep inside me.
“And if anyone tries to hurt you.” His eyes snap open and I shudder at the way they gleam. “I’ll end them. I would burn down the world if it meant keeping you safe for a single day. To see you smile, to hear you laugh, to touch your body and make you scream out my name.”